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Potential Themis Family Asteroid Contribution to the Jupiter-Family Comet Population
Henry H Hsieh1,2, Bojan Novaković3, Kevin J Walsh4
1Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Rd., Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
The Astronomical Journal
|April 8, 2020
Summary
Some Jupiter family comets (JFCs) may originate from the asteroid belt, specifically the Themis family. Dynamical simulations confirm this possibility, suggesting a plausible, though unconfirmed, contribution to the active JFC population.
Area of Science:
- Solar System Dynamics
- Asteroid and Comet Science
Background:
- Recent studies suggest Jupiter family comets (JFCs) may originate from the main asteroid belt.
- Icy main-belt objects have been identified within the Themis asteroid family.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the dynamical possibility of Themis family asteroids evolving into JFCs.
- Assess the potential contribution of Themis family objects to the observed JFC population.
Main Methods:
- Conducted numerical integrations to simulate orbital evolution.
- Analyzed the influence of Jupiter's 2:1 resonance, planetary interactions, and the Yarkovsky effect.
Main Results:
- Confirmed that dynamical evolution from the Themis family to JFC-like orbits is possible.
- Estimated tens of Themis objects could be on JFC-like orbits at any time.
- Identified semimajor axes between 3.15-3.40 au for these evolved objects, influenced by Jupiter's 2:1 resonance.
Conclusions:
- A contribution from the Themis family to the active JFC population is plausible.
- Further research is required to quantify this contribution and confirm observable activity.
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